Residents in the small Wabaunsee County town of McFarland received an unwanted Christmas gift this week in the form of a boil water advisory.
That advisory remains in place until further notice after a loss of pressure was noted late Christmas Eve by officials at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.
KDHE advises those in the boil water advisory to follow these tips:
- If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
- Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
- Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
- Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
- Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.
